Hawk: ‘Curious’ timing of Bills’ firing of Ryan could bode well for Lynn

With Rex Ryan’s firing Tuesday, A.J. Hawk thinks the Buffalo Bills could be setting the stage for Anthony Lynn to be more than a one-game interim head coach.

Hawk sees it as an opportunity for Lynn to convince club owners Terry and Kim Pegula they should keep Lynn, who had been the offensive coordinator, as their full-time replacement for Ryan.

‘Anthony Lynn may be the No. 1 candidate’

“The timing, to me, makes me curious,” Hawk told co-host Brady Quinn on the SiriusXM Blitz. “Anthony Lynn may be the No. 1 candidate for this gig and they want to see how he will handle this one game as an audition. Not so much, I’m sure, win or lose, but how he handles the team throughout this week and they can get a glimpse of what it may look like if he was the head coach and how he would handle, not only the media obligations, but how this team is run.

‘I mean, honestly, less than two years?’

“So maybe he’s high on their list, but I just don’t understand firing Rex with one game to go in this season. I mean, honestly, less than two years? It’s crazy to me. You have to have some patience when it comes to coaching in the NFL. And when you’re an owner, I understand how easy it must be to pull that trigger and to fire these guys.”

Running the table in Green Bay

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers knew when he was creating headlines after saying his team could “run the table” after falling to 4-6 earlier this season. Five games later, the Packers are 5-0 and one win away from claiming the NFC North title once again.

“As a leader, you have to put yourself out there sometimes,” Rodgers said. “I also knew that if we went to Philly and got our butts kicked, it would be thrown right in my face the entire week and probably the rest of the season.”